Car-coupling



(No Model.)

T. KIRBY 87 A. SINGER.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 373,987. Patented Nov. 29, 1887 WITNESSES:

, INVBNTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

. ABRAM SINGER, of Petoskey,

UNITED STATES PATENT Erica.

THOMAS KIRBY AND ABRAM SINGER, OF PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN.

cAR-couPuNe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,987, dated November29, 1887,

Application filed April 26, 1887. Serial No. 236,178. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS KIRBY and in the county of Emmet and Stateof Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Car Couplers,of which the following is a full, clear, and ex act description.

Our invention has for its object to provide an improved car-coupler soconstructed andarranged that it will be perfectly automatic andeffective in action and can be conveniently used in connection with theordinary draw-head and link-coupling.

The invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction andcombinations ofparts,

as hereinafter fully described, and then defi nitely claimed.

Reference is to be had to'the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the couplers in fulllines about to couple and in dotted lines both coupled and uncoupled.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our improved coupling applied. Fig. 3 is aface View of the coupler. Fig. 4 is asectional elevation of the same onthe linear m, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the pivotedcoupling-block, its operating-lever, and spring.

A designates the draw-heads of the couplers, which areoi' like butreverse construction, and are formed on the usual draw'bars, B. Eachdraw-head A is formed'in one side with a longitudinal recess, 0, openinglaterally in a longitudinal sl0t,D. In the rear end of the recess 0, ona vertical pin or bolt, E, is pivoted the enlarged inner end of thecoupling-hook F, than which the recess 0 is somewhat deeper, but whichis fitted to swing outward in the side slot, D. The recess 0 divergesforwardly to allow of a limited lateral play of the coupling-hook whenin position for coupling, and a laterally-extending slot,

G, is cut in the rear part of the lowerwall of the slot D, in which thehook F is rested when not to couple, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 1, the hook being raised to disengage it from the outer wall of therecess O and swung rearward in the side slot, D, to said position ofrest. The other side of the draw-head A is formed with arearwardlyextending recess, H, which is much deeper than thehook-holding recess 0, and hence than the coupling-hook, in order toreceive hooks at different elevations. The upper and lower walls of thehook-receiving recess H extend horizontally to the rear, but the sideWalls, I J, approach each other until the inner wall, I, is offsetlaterally to form a right-angled shoulder, I, and the outer wall, J, iscutaway to form a recess, J, in which the couplingblock K may swing. v

The coupling-block K is adapted to swing laterally on a bolt or pivot,L, passed vertically through the draw-head at the rear outer part of therecess H and loosely through rounded lugs K K K projecting from theconvex back of thecoupling-block at the top, bottom, and a pointtherebetween, respectively. The face of the coupling block K is straightvertically, but concave horizontally to correspond with theengaging-head of the coupling-hook F and to form a continuation of theconverging side walls, I J, of the recess H when in position forcoupling, so that the head of the coupling-hook will be accuratelyguided against the concave face of the coupling-block. Said concave faceis arranged at one side of the pivot L, so that when the entering hookstrikes the block the samewill be swung inward, the outer part of theconcave face thereby forcing the headof the hook inward into engagementwith theshoulder I, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Upon the vertical bolt or pivot L is also pivoted the operating-lever M,which rests on the medial lug, K and is pressed down thereupon by aspring, N, coiled on the pivot L between the lugs K and K The inner endof the lever M terminates in a pronged extension, M, curved forwardly toengage the convex back of the coupling-block, and the outer handled endof the lever passes through a right-angled slot, 0, in the side of thedraw-head into a position convenient for operating without thenecessityofgoing between thecars. Astraight shoulder, K is formed on thetop of the medial lug, K, and is adapted to engage the lever M at apoint outwardly beyond the pivot L.

The lever M is held out of such engagement with the shoulder Ktwhenresting in the hori- ICO zontal branch of its guide-slot O, the block Kbeing in position for coupling. When the couplingblock is swung on itspivot by the hook F, as before described, the outer arm of the lever Mis swung forward in the slot 0 by the engagement of its extension M withthe back of the coupling block, and is pressed downward by the spring Ninto engagement both with the shoulder O at the forward end of the slot0 and with the shoulder K on the coupling-block. Thecoupling-block isthus locked in its turned position, thereby securely holding thecoupling-hook in engagement with the shoulder I. In uncoupling, thelever M is raised from engagement with the shoulder O and swung to therear, thereby, through the action of its extension M, swinging thecoupling-block outward and releasing the hook F.

A verticallyapertured keeper, P, is provided on the top of eachdraw-head A for use withtheordinarypin-and-linkcoupling. The rear wall,Q. of the recess H is curved to correspond with the curve of the rearinner part of the coupling-block K and its lugs K KK so that when theblock is in its inner locking position it will have a broad bearingagainst the back of the recess H to withstand any shocks due to suddenstoppage, 8m.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new,and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination,with one drawhead and its couplinghook, of the otherdraw-head recesscd to receive said hook and having a lata head, of thecoupling'bloek adapted to swing eral shoulder to engage the hook, acouplingblock pivoted to swing in the draw-head toward and from saidshoulder, and having a concave hook-receiving face arranged at one sideof its pivot, a lever-arm swung by and with the coupling-block, and asecond shoulder on the draw-head to engage and lock the lever-arm,substantially as shown and described.

2. In a car-coupler, the drawhead formed in one side with ahook-receiving recess and in the other side with a hook-holding recess,0, opening laterally in a slot, D, and a laterally-extending slot, G, inthe lower wall of the slot D, the recess Gbeing wider at its forward endand deeper than the coupling-hook, and the slot D of equal depththerewith, in combination with the coupling-hook pivoted at the rear endof the recess 0, substantially as shown and described.

3. The draw-head formed with the recess H, the upper and lower walls ofwhich extend horizontally to the rear, the side walls, I J, of whichconverge, the wall I extending to a lateral shoulder or offset, 1, thewall J to a lateral recess, J, in combination with the coupling-block K,having a vertically-straight concave face adapted to register with andform a continuation of the converging walls I J and to swing laterallytoward the shoulder 1, substantially as shown and described.

4. The drawhead formed with the recess H, the upper and lower walls ofwhich extend horizontally to the rear, in combination with thecoupling-block K, havinga concave hookreceiving face,rearwardlyprojecting curved lugs, and pivoted at the rear outer part ofthe recess K, the rear wall, Q, of said recess being curved tocorrespond with the curve of the rear inner part of the couplingblockand its lugs, substantially as shown and described.

5. The draw-head formed with the recess H and coupling-shoulder 1, incombination with the coupling-block K, adapted to swing toward and fromthe shoulder I, the pivot L, the operating-lever M, swinging on saidpivot and adapted to engage the eouplingblock on opposite sides of thepivot L, and the shouldered slot 0 in thedraw-head,through which thelever extends, substantially as shown and described.

6. Thecombinatiomwith the recessed drawlaterally in said recess, havinga convex hack: and formed with the upper, lower, and medial lugs, K KK,the medial lug having a shoulder, K, the pivot L, passed through thelugs K K" K, the lever M, having a curved extension, M, to engage theconvex back of the block K, and the spring N, pressing the lever on theshouldered lug K, substantially as shown and described.

THOMAS KIRBY. ABRAM SINGER. \Vitnesses to the signature ofThomas Kirby:

DAVID 0. PAGE, D. D. WHITTEN. Witnesses to the signature of AbramSinger:

M. S. WORTH, HIRAM PARKER.

